Raiders taken to RFU
PLAY-OFFS are seldom the time to make friends and as Raiders and Bournemouth go head-to-head today at Footes Lane there will be no love lost on the pitch and, it appears, off it.
Bournemouth have reported the Guernsey club to the RFU for wrongly declaring a free gate.
Much to the home club’s dismay, the RFU have upheld the Bournemouth appeal and they are now committed to offering the south coast club a cash sum to reflect a gate.
But, as GRUFC chairman Charles McHugh explained, it was impossible to take money at the gate due to the fact that the play-off is being intermingled with the long-planned Junior Siam day, which itself has caused a host of logistical issues and much co-operation with Jersey.
‘I defy any club in the country to defer this weekend in case of a play-off,’ said an unhappy McHugh, who now expects his club to have to pay 40% of a guessed gate and include within that number all paid-up members.
Raiders have been attracting crowds of circa 700-800 recently, many of whom are club members who get free entry.
However, having considered the arguments of both clubs, the RFU panel voted unanimously to back the visitors' claim.
Historically, Junior Siam is always a free gate and given the nature of the day, with hundreds of players and parents from both islands coming and going, the size of the crowd come the play-off may be difficult to estimate accurately.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth coach Will Croker admitted his club would be play-off underdogs, but that tag suited him.
He told the Daily Echo in Bournemouth: ‘When we are not expected to win, we often come up trumps.’
Croker, whose club last played in National Two South four seasons ago, added: ‘I am sure most of the island will turn out for them and we are going there with one man and his dog. It is going to be a challenge but I think we have a squad who will enjoy that.
‘If we can come out, start strongly and put a tremor under them, all of a sudden the pressure switches.
‘We are a team who do well when our backs are against the wall. When we are not expected to win, we often come up trumps.’
The game kicks off at 1.45pm and due to its importance just one of originally four Junior Siam games scheduled for the main pitch, goes ahead in front of the Garenne Stand crowd, that is the Colts (U19s) at 11am.
